Conservation & Strategic Planning
Conservation:
(i) Strategic conservation planning in an urbanizing world
The amount and configuration of natural cover has an impact on both terrestrial and aqautic ecosystems. Given a continued need for urban expansion, relevant thresholds for species, communities and ecosystems through time and space are required to achieve conservation and restoration goals. When these thresholds are applied through strategic plans (watershed, natural heritage, restoration) they can better achieve desirable conservation outcomes. Features such as intermittent streams, aquatic communities, coldwater communities, groundwater discharge/recharge, water quality/quantity, terrestrial/aquatic connectivity, among others, are areas of interest that can help improve conservation planning in urban areas.
(ii) Managing aquatic species-at-risk
Fundamental aspects of species biology, such as population structure, movement, introgression and habitat use, are necessary pieces of information to formulate effective conservation plans. Moreover, understanding the impact that multiple external stressors can have on a species can be pivotal to limiting adverse conditions to ensure long-term viability. Despite this understanding there are many aquatic species that are classified as at-risk (e.g., special concern, threatened, endangered), but lack a basic understanding of population dynamcs, which can make it difficult to determine whether management actions will be effective. To date most of this work has primarily concerned the westslope and eastslope Rocky Mountain Sculpin (Special Concern and Threatened; Cottus sp.), south Saskatchewan River Lake Sturgeon (Threatened; Acipenser fulvescens), and Redside Dace (Endangered; Clinostomus elongatus).
(iii) Assesing the risk of aquatic invasive species
Invasive species are a major stressor for native freshwater ecosystems and they are becoming more common via human mediated dispersal. Understanding the potential impact of invasive species on native ecosystems is required to provide a complete risk assessment. Moreover, improving our understanding of how to manage for invasive species will aid in developing potential counter measures that can reduce or erradicate their impact on native freshwater ecosystems. Most of this work concerns what is considered to be the most noxious invasive species in Eurasia, Prussian Carp (Carassius gibelio). Understanding their establishment and spread in North America, their potential impacts to native biota and ecosystems, and how novel reproductive modes may be increasing their chances of establishment have been the focus of much of this work. More recently this has shifted towards developing strategic plans and risk assessments by investigating spatio-temporal patterns of aquatic invasives to help better conserve native ecosystems.
Natural Heritage Systems in the Toronto Region.
The Threatened Rocky Mountain Sculpin (Eastslope). Photo Credit: Doug Watkinson
Cait Donadt holding a Prussian Carp specimen from the Red Deer River in Alberta. Photo Credit: Cait Donadt.